Overstaying their welcome!

[Grafton]

Hi all, I have tenants who gave me 1 month's notice as per the tenancy agreement. Unfortunately during the month notice period, one of the tenants was hospitalised with covid. The person in question is now back home thankfully, but although the notice period expires in a couple of days, the tenants have asked to stay for an additional week...
My question is, should the tenants pay for another months full rent, as they are insisting they only pay the additional week they stay?
Any advice would be most welcome, thank you.

[ash72]

I'm assuming you don't have any one else moving in during that period, then I would charge them for the weeks stay, you can either apportion the week by the monthly amount or you can have a slightly higher rate just for the week, it would be at your discretion.

[Beswick]

For me, it would depend on whether or not they had been good tenants. Your use of the word 'thankfully' suggests they were.

It's not exactly their own fault they caught COVID (unless they'd been attending lockdown parties). For a good tenant, I'd just let them stay the extra week without charge. If you do want to charge them, charging beyond the period they remain in the property would be unreasonable (in my opinion).

[Berlingogirl]

I agree with Beswick - let them stay for the week without charge.

[jpkeates]

If you charge them rent for the week (or the month), you'll start a new tenancy and they'll have to give notice again (or can stay until you evict them).

You can charge them a fee called mesne profit for the week, which is a maximum of twice the value that the rent would have been.
But it's very hard to make sure it's never considered to be rent.

[Stew]

If it were me in that situtation and they had been good tenants and paid on time previously with no debts I would without hesitation give them a free week or two rent.

All the best Stew

[DPT57]

I've allowed this with a good tenant before. I know it created a new periodic tenancy, but frankly I would have been happy for him to stay long term, so it didn't matter to me.

[Grafton]

Thank you all for your opinions and valued advice. They have been very good tenants, and so I will waive the weeks rent.

[Lots on]

When my long term tenant left, around the 19th of the month, I didn’t change them anything for that month, heck they’d paid enough rent over the years.